For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably know that, for the past few months, I've been planing and gearing up for a kitchen renovation, which I'm proud (and nervous) to be executing and taking on all by myself -- all while raising a puppy, teaching, and still keeping up with my day-today career as an illustrator, designer and blogger. Phew!
When I first bought my 1950s brick bungalow at 22, I was just proud to own anything, but over the years, I've become familiar with some quirky issues, specifically, a few things in the kitchen that leave more to be desired. Right after I gained possession of my home, there were a lot of upfront expenses: I had to get a new roof, replace windows, get a new water heater, install an air conditioner, the list goes on. So when it came to my appliances, I was tapped out and opted to hunt Kijiji where I found a fridge and stove pair for $30 from a man down the street which we literally carted down the street on a dolly. They worked for what I needed at the time, but as the years have gone by and I've updated other areas of the home, I've realized it's time to face my kitchen, including getting some grown-up appliances!
So, officially, here begins my kitchen renovation journey which I'll be sharing publicly (whelp!) over the next month. You can follow along with my process on YouTube where I'll be sharing weekly vlog diary updates (the first of which you'll see at the top of this post). You can also follow my process with the hashtag #HelloProKitchenReno on Instagram and Twitter, check out weekly posts right here on Hello Yellow, on the F rigidaire Professional® site and social platforms, and also on my blog.
In my excitement over the last few weeks gearing up for this, I've been pinning hundreds of kitchen-inspiration photos, and made myself a little mood-board for my soon-to-be kitchen which I've printed out and hung in my office to remind me -- and motivate me -- to keep going and trucking through the grunt work! Got to keep my eye on the prize...
But before I begin picking out lighting, sourcing tile, buying accessories and all of the fun stuff, it's time to focus on the task at-hand: demolishing my current kitchen. Below are photos of my current space, and the issues which I'll go over:
The current wood cabinets aren't awful, but overall, my kitchen function and size is just too small for my needs. I'm Italian and love to cook and host friends and family for dinner parties, yet I can't fit a dining table anywhere. Because of the fixed island, I can only seat four people total, and even then, it gets tight. And while the overhead storage is so smart and adorable, one too many people have hit their heads on it getting up as it hangs very low.
Secondly, the placement of the fridge across from the stove is just silly, which also happens to be right beside a doorway -- to make matters worse. Yet, in other areas of the space, there's ample space that's completely unused, where you see the grey chair sitting. Knocking out the island, the overhead storage, the small section of wall behind the fridge, and the bulkheads would allow me to create a larger Lshaped kitchen versus my current galley kitchen. I'll then place the fridge and run cabinetry along the currently unused wall facing in, which will also allow me to fit a large, extendable dining table where the current island is. This new plan will open up my space, add more storage, and allow me to seat double the amount of guests, if not more, for copious dinners and parties!
Once the walls and island are demolished and removed, the same hardwood flooring will be extended and installed through to the wall.
And last but not least, once all is said and done, I'll be welcoming the arrival of the new Frigidaire Professional® collection of appliances, which will include a Front-Control Freestanding Gas Range, a Counter-Depth French-Door Refrigerator, a Dishwasher (which I currently don't have at all!), and an Over-The-Range Convection Microwave.
But before all of those great-sounding things come to light, it's demo-time which means things are about to get a whole lot worse before they get better! I'm excited, nervous and anxious, but ready to do it all myself and roll up my sleeves. What am I getting myself into?!